The SoCreate Weekly Museletter
We want to hear from you; how to balance parenthood and writing time; and a writing challenge that won't stop monkeying around!
Hey SoCreators,
In this week’s edition of the Museletter, we want to know what YOU think. As we work hard over here to improve SoCreate, we’re guided by what writers crave and need most. So, we thought it was time to check in with you all, whether you’re a member or not.
Mind taking the survey? It won’t take long. We’ll publish the anonymous results in a couple of weeks (it’s always a good reminder that we’re not alone in this screenwriting journey)!
Thanks for doing that! Now grab a coffee, take ten, and read on for what’s new this week!
ICYMI: SoCreate Feedback is The BEST Way to Get Feedback on Your Script
The all-new SoCreate Feedback rounds up all your script notes in one place. Plus, it’s the easiest way for your reviewers to leave notes.
Upload a Final Draft (FDX) script or write a screenplay in SoCreate
Share a link to your screenplay by adding a recipient email and setting permissions
Your reviewers will get a link to your script, where they can easily comment from any device
You’ll be notified any time there are new notes!
All your notes will be in one place for your review
Ready to take Feedback for a spin?
Exploring This Week’s Featured Blogs
Character Entrances: More Than Just a Name
Master the art of introducing characters in your screenplay with techniques that leave a lasting impression. Our latest blog breaks down effective strategies for character introduction, ensuring they make a powerful impact from their first moment on the page.
Kickstart Your Screenplay
Struggling with the first pages of your screenplay? Our new post guides you through the process of starting your script, and *spoiler alert*, you aren’t required to start at the beginning! Check out our detailed guide on how to start a screenplay.
Balancing Writing with Parenthood
Find practical tips on how to keep your kids occupied so you can focus on writing without interruptions. Our latest blog offers creative solutions that help you maintain productivity while managing your parental responsibilities.
Week 17: Let’s Write a Screenplay in 2024!
For those of you participating in our challenge to write a screenplay this year: Congrats! If you’ve been following our schedule since Jan. 1, you’re finished with your first draft!
It must feel so great to have a draft done. That is the hardest part – getting your thoughts down in the first place. Now, it’s time for the second most difficult part: the rewriting process.
I call it a process because rewriting is far from linear.
You’re going to want to do the first couple of rewrites yourself before it’s ready for third-party opinions.
Step 1: Take a break. You’re going to want fresh eyes when you read your first draft for the first time, so take a week or two away from it before attempting to give yourself notes.
Step 2: Read the script. Make extensive notes on anything and everything that isn’t working.
Step 3: Check the story against your outline for pacing; are the beats occurring where they should in the screenplay? For example, in a feature-length story, we should experience the inciting incident about ten minutes into your screenplay, and the break into act two about 35 minutes in.
Then, start rewriting! Some writers prefer to take their first draft and re-key it as they’re fixing it so the new draft is fresh and they’re able to catch even more errors or find additional areas for improvement. Others prefer to work inside draft one and just make the corrections there.
In any event, we always suggest using SoCreate to write your script: It’s constantly saving, you can make notes to yourself, you can (eventually when the time is right) share the script out so easily for feedback and collect all that feedback in one place, and you can easily rearrange things in your script using our handy-dandy drag-and-drop.
Good luck on draft two, and happy writing!
If you’re just finding this challenge to write a screenplay in 2024, start here.
SoCreate’s Weekly Writing Challenge
Looking to establish a weekly writing habit? That’s exactly what our weekly writing challenges are for!
Read the prompt then click “Accept the Challenge,” and you’ll be dropped right into SoCreate Writer where you can start writing immediately.*
These writing challenges are a great way to hone your skills, test your genres, and get creative. No pressure; it’s not a contest! These writing challenges are just for you. Tune into your stream of consciousness and start writing.
This week, a mischievous monkey takes center stage.
Location: Inside (INT) – An airplane
Characters: Jack (29)
Set the Scene: The cabin of a small commercial airplane. Passengers settle in. The overhead compartments are filled. Jack is seated by the window, with a sturdy crate labeled "Live Animal" at his feet. The crate is just small enough to fit under the seat in front of him.
Prompt: Jack is transporting a small monkey. During takeoff, the monkey manages to unlock the crate from the inside. Write a scene that unfolds as Jack tries to quietly recapture the monkey without causing panic among the passengers. Why does he have the monkey in the first place, and does he manage to catch it?
*You can use SoCreate without an account, but you will not be able to save your work.
That's it for this week's Museletter! We hope it inspired you to write. Your stories are important, and every sentence you add brings you one step closer to a finished story you can share with the world!
<3 Your friends at SoCreate
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